Roofing



June 18, `1940.

H. L. PARSONS RooFING` Filed Feb. 201939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESS vJune 18, 1940.

H. x.. masons ROOFING 2 Sheets-Shes?. 2 l r Filed Feb. 20. 1939 ATTORNEYS WITN Patented lune 18, 1940 UNITED STATE 3 Claims.

My inventionrelates to roofs, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved slate roof structure.

An object of my invention is to provide a slate -roof structure wherein the slate units in each course are laid to expose relatively large areas to the weather so as to p rovide coverage for a relatively large roof area with a relatively small amount of slate, thereby reducing the cost of the roof as well as the load of the slate coverage. Roofing felt or equivalent material underlies each course of slate for cushioning purposes in addition to providing an effective seal against the entrance of moisture. I also provide novel means for rendering splices between adjoining strips of roong felt moisture-proof to the end that the roof structure may have moisture-proofed properties throughout in addition to permitting the use of strip material of shorter lengths than the width of the roof.

Another object is to provide a novel method for laying slate for roof covering purposes Wherein overlapping slate units Jand the cushioning means are eiectively sealed to provide moisturetight relation therebetween. More speciiically, I lay a course of slate units and apply sealing material on the roof structure along the upper line of the slate coursea After application of the sealing material, I lay a cant strip on the roof structure and press it against the upper ends of the slate units, which movement causes the sealing material to extrude upwardly from between the slate course and the base edge of the cant strip. After placement of the cant strip, I apply a course of cushioning felt and a course of roofing slate. The last laid course partly overlaps the upper margin of the previously laid course with the result that the extruded sealing material is spread between the two overlapping courses and upwardly on the cant strip so as tc provide an effective moisture seal.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary plan view of a roof embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view along the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of a cant board employed in connection with adjoining ends of the roong felt;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary plan view of a roof illustrating the manner in which the overlapping .courses are sealed;

Figure 6 is a sectional view'along the line 6''6 of y Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 illustrating a step in the construction of the roof of Figi Figure 10 is a fragmentary perspective View of a modied form of cant strip.

In the embodiment selected to illustrate my invention, I make use of a roof structure I0, which is illustrated in Figure 2 as comprising the usual tongue-and-groove siding. Figures 1 and 2 illustrate the roof structure therein as being provided with a plurality of courses I2, I4 and I6 of slate. The number of courses will depend upon the area to be covered. Each course includesa plurality of slate units I8, each of which is preferably ten by twelveV inches laid with its longaxis vertically. Course M overlaps course I2`as indicated at 20, While course I5 .overlaps course I4 at 22, with the same arrangement continuing for as many courses as are necessary to cover the roof area. With a slate unit of ten by twelve inch proportions good results have been attained by making the overlap three inches so that eachslate unit has a nine by twelve inch area exposed to the weather.

Along the eaveredge 24 of the roof structurel II) yI provide a cant strip 26 upon which I position eave slate 28. Both the slate and the cant strip are xedly secured to the roof structure by nails 30. Eave slate 28 is' relatively short with respect to vertical length, Under each course I2, Iel and I6 I position felt runs 32, each of which extends horizontally of the roof structure I0 and is of a width corresponding to the vertical height of the slate laid thereon. Each slatey unit I8 is provided with two openings near its upper end for receivingnails 34 which are driven into the roof structure I0 for anchoring the slate units and the felt runs 32. Felt runs 32 are thoroughly saturated with asphalt and are preferably dusted with comminuted material such as `Vpowdered mica. Figure 2 illustrates the top and bottom edges of the felt strips as terminating ush with the upper and lower edges of their respective slate courses. Thus the felt course 32 associated with the slate course I4 overlaps the slate course I2 in the same degree as the slate course I4.

ated with the slate course I2has itslower rmargin located between the slate eave course 28 and the course I2.

Felt sheets underlying a slate course must be eifectively joined in end-to-end abutting relation. If pieces of roofing felt are to be laid in a slate course it is necessary that some means -be provided for affording support underneath the `vented from sagging.

'connection between. the .felt sections.

adjoining end margins of the felt. In cases where felt underlies each course of slate there is a certain amount of sagging of the roong felt in view of the fact that the felt and the slate are laid in overlapping relation throughout the diierent courses. Figure 2 illustrates such a joint at 38 in connection with the felt strip 32 associated with the slate course I4. Referring to Figure 3, felt sections 38 have their adjoining margins positioned on a cant board 4I), which cant board is tapered to conform to the angular space between the upper face of the roof structure I0 and the felt 32 underlying the slate course I4. The butt of the cant board 40 lies against the upper edge .of the slate course I6.

Figure 3 illustrates the cant board 40 as being of such Width as to afford support for a considerable margin .orrV each'of the felt sections 38, and the vertical space-'42 between the adjoining sections 38 is effectively sealed by a suitable asphalt or othersealingymaterial 44. Sealed joint 36 extends vertically and centrally of the cant board 4B so as to provide an effective connection between the sections' 38, Thus the cant boa-rd 40 provides an eIectiVesuppOrt for the joined sectiens 384so as to prevent sagging of the ends to thev end that thejoint might be effectively sealed to provide a weatherproof condition.

'Ina roof structure of relatively little pitch the matter of saggingxof the felt is an important matterr particularly in connection with abutting edges of felt sections underlying a course of slate. While I have described felt sections as being provided with a sealed joint, proper backing of the felt sections in the vicinity of their adjoining ends alfords. a good joint in that the felt is pre- Any considerable sagging of the `felt immediately adjacent the upper. edge ofthe underlying slate course permits moisture to flow into the joint. In supporting the margin against sagging, the unsupported areas of the roofing sections may sag, which sagging causes moisture to drain away from the abutting ends ot the rcong section.

While I have described the slate units I8 as preferably being made up in ten by twelve inch sizes, it will be-understood that other sizes are equally well adapted to be laid in accordance with my invention. The Vslate' units are so arranged upon the roof structure as to require a relatively small amount of slate material to eiectively cover a given roof area. At the same time, the felt provides a cushioning mount for the slate in addition to providing a weather seal between the o'erlapping margins of the slate courses. The felt cushioning and sealing runs between the overlapping slate courses provide an effective seal against the entrance of water or air. Because of" the large amount of slate exposed to the weather, less slate is required and the construction time greatly reduced which lowers the cost oitlie roof structure. In addition, felt strips are effectively joined so as to provide a weather-tight Cant lboardsV 40 support thel joined margins of the felt methods wherein the felt strips must of necessity run the full width oi the roof structure. `The holes in the slate unit are located so as to bring the anchoring nails underneath the upper course of slate so that the felt between the two slate courses effectively covers the nails for sealing purposes.

InV Figures 5 to 8, inclusive, I illustrate a roof structure embodying certain modifications. The slate courselIG includes slate units 48 which overlie a strip of roofing felt 50 in the same manner as described in connection with the courses of Figure 1. In the construction of a roof structure according to Figures 5 and 7, I apply ai supply of semi-liquid sealing material 52 yon the roof structure 54, which corresponds to the roof structure I0, along a line adjacent the upper edge @teach previously laid course of slate, as illustrated in Figure 5. After application of the sealing material 52, I apply a cant strip 56, which kis tapered in accordance with the cant strip 48 of Figure but is of considerable length. Cant strip 56 will extend the full width of the roof.` In wide roofs, the cant strip 56 may be made up oi a number of sections. Referring to Figure 8, the cant strip is laid with itsbutt end above or closely adjacent the upper margin of the sealing material 52 after which the cant strip is pushed downwardly for extruding the sealing material between the butt end of the cant strip and the upper edge ofthe slate course 46, as at 58. An effective seal is establishedbetween the butt end of the cant strip and the slate course, as at Eil, while the sealing material-Will be extruded inthe form of a bead which extends some distance above the upper face of the cant strip and the slate course 416. After extruding the sealing material as illustrated in Figure 8, the next course of slateis laid. The latter laid course of slate will cause the bead 58 to be spread laterally of the joint 50 both upwardly and downwardly, as at 62. Thus' I provide an effective seal between each course of slate, the seal extending `between'the overlapping rooting felt and the slate, in addition to extending between a margin of the cant strip and the roong felt. This construction provides an effective seal in connection withy slate covered roofs which have very little pitch.

Figure l0 illustrates a slightly different form of cant strip in which strips of roofing felt 64, B6 and 68 are arranged in overlapping relation, with the strips of progressively narrowed widths so as to provide an assembly of tapered conguration.

I claim:

l. In a roof, a supporting structure, a plurality of courses of overlapping slate laid on said supporting structure, a strip of roong felt lying underneath each course of slate, a tapered cant strip lying underneath the roofing felt adjacent the lupper end of each course of slate, and sealing material between the butts of the cant strips and the slate courses therebelow and between the overlapping margins of the roofing felt and the slate courses.

2. In a roof, a supporting structure, a plurality of courses of overlapping slate laid on said supporting structure, a stripof roofing felt lying underneath each course of slate, a tapered cant strip lying underneath the roofing felt adjacent the upper end of each course of slate, and sealing material between the butts of the cant strips and the slate courses therebelow and between the overlapping margins of the roong felt and the slate courses, said sealing material extending between the upper faces of the cant strips and the superimposed strips of roofing felt.

3. The herein described method of constructing a roof, which comprises laying a course of slate units on a supporting structure, applying a semi-iiuid Vsealing material on the roof structure above the upper edge of the slate course, applying a cant strip to the roof structure above the sealing material and moving the cant strip in the direction of the slate course for extruding sealing material outwardly from the cant strip and the slate course, and applying a slate course in overlapping relation with the extruded sealing materialfor effecting a sealed joint between the overlapping margins of the slate courses.

HUGH LUCAS PARSONS. 

